Things that go bump in the night
by TheMoonclaw
Summary: "Ceodore thinks he saw a ghost," "I DID see a ghost!" "Impossible. Ghosts don't exist." - In which, a creepy part of a castle might be haunted, or maybe everyone is just crazy. - My 'verse, late timeline. More info inside! Part 2 of 2 - COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Should I be working on my longer stories, or perhaps other projects?**

**Maybe. Possibly. Yeah.**

**But! Here's this instead.**

**So, the story behind this story is kind of funny; this concept was something Mythweaver and I came up with when her and I and Freida_Right got together on our last trip years and years ago. Mythweaver was originally going to write up the idea, but since she's retired now and Halloween IS coming up, I thought I would have some fun ;)**

**But because it's me I ended up adding like 5 extra subplots and it's twice as long as it probably needs to be. All, well.**

***Timeline wise, this is 3 years after the end of Shards of History; I suggest reading Mythweaver's Road Trip story (which you can easily find in my favorites tab) as this is sort of a sequel. **

**There's some references to the 4th fic that I don't think I'll be writing anytime soon if ever, but it's low-key stuff and hopefully won't bother anyone. **

**Part 1 of 2.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Edge felt like it was going to be a great day.

There were no meetings scheduled, the sun was shining, the temperature was perfectly balanced between warm and cold, and Rydia had said she had no plans for the day either.

He flung the doors to the balcony open and leaned against the stone railing, enjoying the atmosphere.

Yes, it was going to be a great day.

The balcony had a view of part of the front courtyard, which was boring, as well as the pathway leading up to the castle.

A familiar person was walking up said pathway and Edge frowned.

"What's he doing here?"

He hadn't meant to necessarily say it out loud, but too late.

Hopefully he didn't sound as disappointed as he was feeling about having an annoying visitor.

"Why is who here?" Rydia called from back inside their room. She was still aggressive raking a comb through her hair.

"Ceodore," Edge replied, still watching him approach, trying not to scowl.

"He's probably here to visit Kieran," she said. "We should go greet him and find out, in any case."

Edge made a strangled noise in his throat of protest, wanting to avoid that. But, the sooner he found out why Ceodore was here, the sooner he could get back to his day.

It wasn't a great one anymore, but hopefully it could still be good.

As he pushed off the rail, a bird flew overhead and decided at that moment to poop. It splattered on his shoulder.

Edge heaved a long, drawn out sigh.

Nope.

Today was going to be a terrible day.

* * *

Ceodore got the distinct feeling he wasn't welcome.

The way Edge had basically shoved him down a hallway unceremoniously and told him that Kieran and Cuore were vaguely somewhere in that direction seemed to confirm his thought.

He knew he had stopped by unexpectedly, but he wasn't ready for such a treatment all the same. Rydia had shot him an apologetic look, but didn't offer any further conversation either.

Luckily, it had been easy to find his friends, but they weren't exactly hospitable either. They had seemed totally confused by his visit, and Kieran had tossed him a look and a snarky comment about needing their help to save the world.

Ceodore was pretty sure it was a jab at all the drama surrounding the last world war. He wasn't brave enough to ask, though.

"Er…I don't need help, actually…" Ceodore said, awkwardly shuffling his feet.

Cuore's brow furrowed, "Then why are you here?"

Why did everyone want to get rid of him?!

"I…wanted to see you two?" he replied weakly.

Kieran scoffed, "Chocobo shit,"

Ceodore blinked, caught completely off-guard by that comment. Cuore just whacked Kieran's shoulder and shook her head in reprimand.

Infinitely more friendly, Cuore clasp her hands together. "Perhaps we should do that thing normal people do where they chat while consuming warmed liquids and sugary items of food."

Ceodore had to crack a grin at her commentary. Even after all these years, she would still say and do things totally bizarre that were utterly endearing.

Kieran, on the other hand, sighed and pushed a stack of notebooks and papers to the other side of the nearby table. "Yes, I will drop everything I'm working on to talk to you," he complained.

"We can finish calculating vectors later," Cuore offered helpfully.

Ceodore made a face, "Vectors?"

Cuore nodded and began to babble on about something technical he didn't understand and couldn't follow. Nevertheless, he nodded politely and listened and before long they had moved locations to a sitting room and were doing a "normal" thing.

The prince turned his cup around and around in his hands. It made a grinding sound against the wood of the table but he hardly noticed it.

"Ursula and I had a fight," he blurted out suddenly.

Kieran pointed at him, "Ah, and there it is,"

Ceodore glared at him.

"I knew you were here for a reason," his friend said with an annoying smirk.

Ceodore looked back at his cup. "Well…I…did want to see you, too,"

"I've been here four months and haven't heard anything from you," Kieran countered, making a face.

The prince felt a flash of guilt.

It was true that he hadn't come for a visit or written a letter.

He'd _started _one, but time got away from him and he'd been so busy…

Cuore glanced between them. "Should I not be here?"

"What?" they both asked at the same time, confused.

The teal haired woman raised an eyebrow, "You two obviously have something to work out. I'm wondering if I need to be present for it."

"We're fine." they both said in unison again.

If possible, her raised brow got higher.

"Well, what about you two?" Ceodore said in a flustered panic. He gestured between them. "Have you figured that out yet?"

Kieran tossed a look at Cuore, who just stared back impassively.

There was a long pause.

Kieran turned back to him. "So, you had a fight with Ursula?"

"_Guess not_…"

Ceodore shifted in his chair, uncomfortable, and cleared his throat. "Yeah…"

"And you are here because…?" his friend pried slowly.

"Because…because…" he stumbled over his words. "I-I wanted advice, and…"

Kieran suddenly chuckled. "Did she kick you out of your own castle?"

"What? No!" Ceodore insisted.

Kieran's chuckled turned into a full laugh and he leaned back in his chair, "Oh, please, continue with your story…"

The prince glared at him for a full minute before taking a deep breath to collect his thoughts. "She didn't kick me out, I just…wanted some advice and um…well, I couldn't ask anyone back home,"

"Why not?" Cuore asked, tipping her head to one side.

He sighed, "Well….Ursula thinks that my mom is overbearing,"

Kieran snorted.

He ignored him.

"…and no one back home wants to get involved." He finished. As an afterthought, he added; "Well, except Izayoi, but she's no help."

"That's not surprising." Cuore muttered, taking a ship of her tea.

Ceodore sighed again and looked up, "So, anyway, we kind of disagreed and had a fight…and…well, what do you two think?"

"About what?" Cuore asked, looking baffled. "You've merely stated facts, and as I was not there to witness them, I cannot disagree. So, what exactly do you want advice on?"

"Do you think my mom is overbearing?" he asked honestly. He wanted advice on how to deal with Ursula's temper, too, but they would get to that.

Kieran and Cuore both exchanged a look.

Ceodore frowned.

They always seemed to communicate better when they weren't talking to one another.

"I…think you should go back home and talk to your wife," Kieran said after a moment.

Cuore nodded agreement. "Yes, the crux of the argument was one thing, but the solution is another. Only you and Ursula can figure that out."

"But…what do you think I should do?" Ceodore asked again, desperate.

"I just told you," Kieran snapped. "Go talk to your wife."

"But-"

"Talk. To. Your. Wife." his friend said slowly.

Ceodore glared at him.

"Don't glare at me, you know I'm right." Kieran said with a wave of his hand.

He glanced at Cuore, but she just smiled sweetly. "I agree with Kieran; you should talk with Ursula about this, not us. Whatever the problem is, you two will work more effectively as a single unit to figure it out."

Ceodore did not miss the annoyed look Kieran gave her. She either didn't see it or pretended not to.

He sighed once more.

They were no help.

But he didn't want to go back home yet.

"Cuore…do you think your parents would let me stay here for a few days?"

* * *

"Is this Baron's new strategy?" Edge complained, stomping through the winding corridors. "They don't bomb people with airships anymore, they just show up and act helpless and slowly take over from the inside out?"

Cuore rolled her eyes, practically hopping to keep pace with him.

"Yes, why don't you deport him back home," Kieran said hopefully, trailing after both of them.

Cuore turned to frown at him. "That's not very nice. Just because you two are fighting,"

"We aren't fighting!" Kieran insisted, sounding irritated.

She didn't believe him.

"Well, I could send both of you back," Edge cut in, crossing his arms. "I'm still not sure I want you here,"

Kieran chuckled, "Too late. I read your squatter laws. I've been here too long; you can't get rid of me."

"I could kill you," Edge retorted airily.

"Messy. You just had the floors redone."

Cuore pressed fingertips to her forehead, frustrated with both of them.

"Dad," she said, tugging on his cloak to gain his attention and stop him from continuing to march around the castle. "May Ceodore stay here a few days?"

Edge heaved a dramatic sigh. "Ugh, fine. Three days. He can stay three days."

"Thank you," she said, smiling.

Her father waved a hand in dismissal, as if it wasn't a big deal after all. He paused and glanced between the two of them.

"So…are you two back together yet?"

Cuore recoiled, annoyed and unbalanced by the question. "Why…do you ask?"

"I have a bet going with Kain on it." he answered honestly.

"Wait, what?!" Kieran said. "What sort of bet?"

Edge grinned, "Wouldn't you like to know,"

Cuore was grasping at her annoyance and trying to hang onto that emotion rather then the flustered uncertainty she felt. "That…is an entirely inconsequential question to ask at this moment in time."

"So, no? Not yet?" Edge pestered.

She glared at him, "Dad,"

"I'm just curious." he said defensively.

Kieran crossed his arms. "I'm still waiting on a pro-con list,"

"I…I'm working on it," Cuore said, beginning to wring her hands. "Don't be impatient."

"Four months is not impatient." he countered.

She hesitated, feeling trapped and uncomfortable. Kieran had only occasionally needled her about her answer to his latest proposal, but every time he did it felt like a very real threat she wanted to run from.

She had no idea how to respond, and even making a very detailed list on it wasn't calming her nerves any.

"We have vectors to calculate." Cuore finally snapped.

Kieran rolled his eyes and turned to wander back the way they had come. "Not tonight, Cuore."

She bit her lip, wondering if he was mad at her.

Their relationship was a confusing, snarled mess at the moment. When they worked together, everything seemed fine.

Until she got distracted when he brought up something remarkably brilliant, or he got distracted by her and she'd catch him staring.

Love was so difficult.

Cuore rubbed her upper arms, feeling bad for not having an answer for Kieran.

Edge sighed wistfully and broke her out of her thoughts. "This castle has way too much drama in it…"

* * *

"I…don't think I've been to this section of the castle," Ceodore said cautiously.

It felt…creepy.

The air was dense, stale and freezing cold.

There were fewer candle sticks and torches then the already way too dark in his opinion, castle.

There were absolutely no sounds to be heard.

Edge grinned at him, "We don't use this section of the castle."

He sounded far too cheerful to be standing in a pitch-black tunnel.

Ceodore swallowed and crossed his arms, "Its…kind of cold,"

"Yeah, costs too much to heat this section." Edge agreed.

There was a pause.

Yes, he was definitely not welcome here.

Ceodore frowned, "Um…don't you have rooms in the other part of the castle?"

"Nope. We're using them for stuff." Edge said, voice still cheery.

He handed the candlestick to the prince and offered another grin. "Well, have a nice time. Sleep wherever you'd like."

And walked up the stairs and slammed the heavy metal door shut with an ominous 'clang'.

It echoed through the dark, empty hallways for a good ten seconds afterwards.

* * *

Ceodore shivered.

He didn't like this one bit.

Ceodore couldn't sleep.

At first, it was because it was cold.

Then, it was so quiet he felt restless.

But now…

He wished it was quiet once more.

There was ominous creaking coming from somewhere away from the bedroom he had found. Both times he gotten up and peered out of the bedroom door, it had stopped.

But as soon as he was starting to drift off to sleep, it would begin again.

It wasn't long before the creaking morphed into…scratching?

He shivered, huddled further into the blankets he was hiding beneath.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

There was a new sound to join the scratching and scraping; a low hum.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

Then it was the sound of air blowing slowly against rocks.

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

Ceodore shivered again, and darted his gaze around the room.

He couldn't see anything, but the sounds didn't feel close by.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

He jumped out of the bed, freaked out. Dragging one of the blankets with him, he crept outside and peered back and forth.

The hallway was dark, silent and empty.

His heartbeat, however, was starting to increase. Ceodore shook his head at himself.

What was he getting freaked out about?

The hallway was still dark, silent and empty.

Suddenly, he heard it again;

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

"H-hello?" Ceodore called out.

His voice echoed, and the noises stopped, but he didn't feel better about that.

After a few moments, they started up again.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

Carefully, Ceodore left the safety of the doorway and picked his way down the hallway, following the sounds.

It was hard to figure out where exactly they were coming from, since the castle was all stone and things echoed unnaturally.

Soon, he came to a staircase.

It was tight, and spiraled up until he lost sight of it.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

The sounds were coming from up above.

He swallowed thickly. "Hello? Is somebody there?"

No reply.

The noises stopped.

"U-um…" the prince started, fidgeting with the blanket and the candlestick.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

He cringed, feeling more and more unsettled and wondering if this was an elaborate way to get him out of the castle. If it was, it was most assuredly working.

Suddenly, a rush of air burst past him, extinguishing the flame on the candlestick.

An unholy, low pitched screech followed, and he saw something white flicker out of the corner of his eye.

The candlestick clattered to the ground and Ceodore ran.

* * *

"Kieran!" a panicked voice called. "Kieran!"

There was a pounding on his door to match the rapid tone.

Kieran literally rolled out of bed onto the floor, groaning and taking his time getting to his feet.

He yanked open the door to glare at Ceodore.

"_What_?" he hissed.

The prince shoved past him into the room, eyes wide.

His words came out in a panicked, tumbled mess.

"The castle is haunted! I saw a ghost! I heard a ghost! It's haunted!"

Kieran stared at him long and hard, wondering how he should reply.

Laugh? Make fun of him? Play along? Punch him to shut him up?

Finally he opted to just take a deep breath, exhale…

….and go back to bed.

Kieran crawled under the covers as his friend sputtered in obvious disbelief. "W-what…are you doing? I…did you hear m-me? The castle is haunted!"

"I heard you. I'm going back to bed." Kieran stated calmly, throwing the covers up over his head. "Go to bed, Ceodore."

"The castle is haunted!" he insisted.

Kieran felt the bed shake as clearly the prince had just jumped onto. "How can you sleep?!"

Annoyed, he blindly shoved him off the bed and was satisfied by the "oof" sound that followed, before sitting up to glare at the bundle on the floor.

"You have lost your mind." he said, irritated. "It's late, I'm tired. I've been here four months and have not seen, heard, smelled or otherwise noticed, a ghost."

"_You_ haven't been in the creepy part of the castle!" Ceodore snapped back.

Kieran made a face. "The…what?"

"The creepy part of the castle! The south wing! It's dark, and there were weird noises, and it's cold, and…and no one is down there. I think Edge made me sleep there on purpose."

"The south wing? I haven't been down there. I honestly assumed it was just storage." he remarked thoughtfully.

"_Haunted_ storage!" Ceodore said frantically.

Kieran rolled his eyes.

Ceodore scrambled back onto the bed. "I'm not joking! There were weird noises, and it…I saw…I don't know, just…something is in there."

"And? Even if it's haunted, what do you want me to do about it?" Kieran asked, making a face at him.

Ceodore paused, "Um….I…don't know, but…"

He rolled his eyes again.

"Can…I stay in here?"

Kieran pushed him off the bed again. "No! You are an adult, your older than me!"

"It was a ghost!" Ceodore retorted, as if that fact superseded all others and instantly won him the argument.

Kieran groaned in annoyance and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, how about this; I will go back to the south wing with you and we'll face this _ghost_ together."

Ceodore hesitated.

"Either that or I'm waking someone else up," Kieran warned.

"Alright, fine…just…bring more candles…"

* * *

It was quiet.

Kieran looked around the hallways, frowning. The torch light bounced off the stones and cast dancing, flickering shadows everywhere. But even those hardly looked sinister.

If anything, they looked cheery.

"Okay, where's this ghost?" he asked.

Ceodore was hiding behind him, but looked around in confusion.

"I don't hear anything right now…"

"Because there wasn't anything to begin with," Kieran finished for him, flicking an irritated look over his shoulder.

Ceodore glared back. "You don't believe me,"

"No, your right. I don't. The castle isn't haunted."

The prince hesitated, "I…know what I heard. I know what I saw."

"You literally faced an interstellar parasite, two insane Lunarians mutated into something else, and dealt with a world war and near total mass extinction." Kieran remarked, shaking his head. "But a _ghost_ has you freaked out?"

Ceodore glared at him again. "Ghosts are scary!"

"I'm going back to bed." Kieran said, sitting the three-pronged candelabra down on the ground.

"B-but…" the prince stuttered, looking back and forth in the now empty, quiet hallways.

Kieran pinned him with an irritated look. "There's no ghost, Ceodore. The castle isn't haunted. You are just having trouble sleeping in an unfamiliar place. Go to bed."

He left without another glance at his friend.

Ceodore pulled the blanket around him tighter, now left alone in the creepy south wing.

He stood still for several minutes, but heard nothing. With a sigh, he picked up the candlesticks and slowly wandered towards his room.

Maybe he had been hearing things…and maybe what he saw wasn't a ghost…

* * *

"Is the south wing haunted?"

Edge looked up at the weird question. "Oh, good morning. Your up later than usual,"

Kieran looked irritable already. "I know. I didn't sleep well. Is the south wing haunted?"

"No, it's just run-down," Edge replied, shrugging. "Why?"

"Ceodore seems to think it's haunted." Kieran complained.

Rydia looked up from making toast. "Edge!" she scolded. He winced.

"You can't put guests in the south wing! The roof leaks."

He grinned, "Ah, but can't I? If its unpleasant for him, he can go home."

His wife frowned at him, but Kieran asked another question. "So, it's not haunted, its' just a piece of crap?"

"Yup."

"Good to know."

Rydia looked halfway sympathetic and handed Kieran the toast she had just made. "Is that why you didn't sleep well?"

"Ceodore?" he asked, making a face. "Yeah. Seems to think he saw a ghost and bothered me for some reason about it."

"Probably because you two are friends," Edge replied, pushing his empty breakfast plate away.

Kieran rolled his eyes.

Rydia offered a smile, "Well, he's only here for three days, so it's not all bad."

Edge wasn't sure which of them she was talking too, and evidently, neither did Kieran, because he just stared at her.

"Whatever, I'm going to the Tower before the prince is up and about." Kieran muttered. "Thanks for the toast."

"Do you want to forego that and spend time with Ceodore?" Rydia said, voice light. "He is here visiting."

Kieran snorted. "He's hiding from his wife,"

"What?"

"He and Ursula had a fight,"

Edge started laughing. Rydia shot him her patented look.

"That's…unfortunate," she said after silently reprimanding her husband.

Kieran snorted again. "Sure, whatever. I need to head to the Tower,"

"Cuore's already there, I think," Edge mentioned.

The dark-haired man sighed, "Great. I'll have to hear about how I'm late now, too…"

Rydia sat down in her chair and propped her chin on her hand. "Are you two back together yet?"

"Everyone needs to quit asking that," Kieran snapped. He spun around and walked out.

The summoner whistled a low trill. "Guess not…"

Edge raised an eyebrow.

"I have a bet going with Kain about it," she replied as explanation.

"Me too!" he exclaimed.

Rydia rolled her eyes. "Still plays all sides, I see…"

"Some things never change," Edge agreed.

* * *

Kieran hated that Bab-Il's elevator system was non-responsive. It took forever to climb all the steps, and if he was doing so alone, he had taken to just jumping several flights at a time where possible.

As soon as he entered the core room, Cuore's voice rang out from somewhere above.

"Your late,"

Kieran stifled a sigh.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry. I didn't sleep well."

She leaned over the railing, looking down at him from the upper rim. Her expression softened. "Oh."

She fiddled with tools in her hands. "Nightmares?" she asked carefully.

He shook his head, "No, something more annoying."

He tossed his jacket onto a nearby chair. "Never mind, I don't want to talk about it. Any luck getting the power on?"

Cuore gave him a once over, but seemed to decide to let his early comment slide. She shook her head. "No luck. All the crystalline parts are dust, and I have nothing to replace them with."

Kieran frowned thoughtfully, surveying the area with hands on his hips.

They had been working on the power systems for over a month, but everything they tried didn't work. There simply weren't any parts available to replace those that broke.

And neither of them could think of something to use instead to power the impressive Tower of Bab-Il.

"I did find something interesting, if you want to come and take a look." Cuore said, waving him up.

Kieran circled around the cold, lifeless core and pattered up the metal steps to the upper rim of the room. Cuore gestured to a panel she had pried off.

"There's a few systems that weren't completely fried. If we had power back on, some of these might actually work." she explained, leaning back against the railing. "Even by Lunarian standards, this place is pretty amazing."

Kieran peered inside the panel. "No kidding. I just wish we could get it up and running again."

When she didn't reply, Kieran glanced over his shoulder.

Cuore's gaze was angled out to the room, lingering on the core. Her weight was heavily leaned against the metal frame that surrounded the upper section.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Cuore didn't look at him, but her expression twisted to a wistful smile. "I miss her."

"…Bab-Il?" he guessed.

She nodded. "It's silly, I know…"

"No, it's not. I miss her too."

Cuore sighed, gaze dropping. "Maybe I need to let this die…"

Kieran frowned, standing back up, but she was already continuing; "This place, its' a relic of something long gone, a painful reminder of things lost…"

He walked over to stand next to her and hesitated a moment before reaching out to take her hand. "Yes, it's those things, but…it's more than that."

Cuore glanced up at him and he shrugged. "The tower is also a reminder of what can be accomplished. It goes from the underworld all the way up to the sky, touching everything on the planet. How can it not be a reminder of all the great things we can do together?"

He smiled slightly, "And, maybe you can finally turn it into something that lives up to its' namesake; unity."

Cuore's expression slowly formed a smile to match his and he felt her fingers tighten around his.

"Maybe _we_ can turn it into something."

Her voice was soft, and sweet and it took every ounce of willpower Kieran had to not lean over and kiss her senseless.

Working so closely together was becoming more and more difficult, and his patience was wearing thin after so long. She was making excuses, he knew, to avoid answering his question of marriage.

The worst part was he _knew_ she still had feelings for him.

If she hadn't still loved him, then he had have let her go once and for all. But instead, she merely tried to convince him surely, _he_ didn't love _her_.

It was the most bizarre situation he'd ever been a part of, and that was saying something.

Cuore blinked, and she stood up straight suddenly, releasing his hand. "Wait…the underworld,"

"What about it?" Kieran asked, watching the wheels turn in her head.

"Geothermal!" she exclaimed. "Oh, of course! I'm so stupid…"

She turned and clabbered down the steps, muttering to herself.

Kieran rolled his eyes, used to her weirdness, and followed at a more normal pace. "Want to fill me in?"

"Yes! Oh! It was your idea," Cuore said, spinning around to flash a smile. "You really are a genius."

"Thanks…what was my idea?" he asked, amused.

She began to clear dust from a console, "The tower taps into the underworld, the core of this planet. There is extreme geothermal activity down there! We don't need crystals, we can use the planet as its' own power source!"

"Is that…safe?" he asked.

She began to try and pry a panel off. "Yes! Well, no, but we can retrofit the tower to make it safe."

"The planet as its' own power source, huh?" Kieran said, gently pushing her out of the way to unhinge the panel for her. "That's a pretty good idea. Would the tower still be able to act as a stabilizer for our core?"

"Yes," Cuore assured, nodding. "In fact, not to boast, but that might be a more thought out idea then the Lunarian's original plan."

She pointed up to one of the coiled and tangled tubes above their heads. "Can you reach that? It's driving me crazy."

"Why?"

"I keep seeing it out of the corner of my eye and think it's a flying fiend." Cuore explained.

Kieran gave her a deadpanned look.

She crossed her arms.

"Alright, fine…this is surely what they give these dragon scales out for, though." he complained.

Still, there was very little he wouldn't do for the teal haired woman, so he sprung up, grasped the tubing, and let gravity do the rest.

It made a whining sound, came loose, then pulled an entire section of ceiling down with it.

The moment Kieran landed on his feet, he caught Cuore's arm and gently tugged her backwards, away from the falling debris.

An extra moment passed before the last stray piece fell with a loud clang.

Cuore giggled. "Oops. I didn't realize it was attached to all that…"

"You might be breaking this place worse than the war," Kieran chided.

She grinned and looked up at him, obviously intent on making a snarky comment back. But Kieran wasn't listening, because he was trying very hard not to kiss her again.

He hadn't meant to keep hold of her arm, and he certainly hadn't meant to grab her waist in the first place. But it felt so natural for them to be so close that he could only blame impulse.

How long had it been since he kissed her?

The last time he asked her to marry him and she'd said yes?

That had been almost two years ago.

But his musings were interrupted when the chain around his neck tugged.

Cuore's attention was diverted to something resting against the palm of her hand, her fingers tangled through the chain.

She blinked, lips parted slightly.

He winced.

_Uh oh_

"You…you kept this?" she whispered, looking up.

The normally hidden ring he wore around his neck must have come loose with so much movement, leading to a conversation he had hoped to never have with Cuore.

Even if she said yes once more to giving them another try, Kieran had fully intended to never tell her he'd kept her original ring all this time.

Cuore blinked at him, obviously content to wait for a reply.

Kieran sighed and let go of her, gently reaching down to remove the ring and chain from her hand. "Of course I did."

Cuore remained frozen for a moment, hand lingering in the air after the item was gone before it dropped limply to her side.

"I-I thought you would have thrown it away…" she admitted quietly. "That would have been…cathartic."

Kieran dropped the necklace back underneath his shirt. "It reminded me of you."

She seemed unsure how to accept that comment, but Kieran knew he needed to get away from this situation for the time being.

There were far too many raw emotions threatening to boil over, and he was too exhausted to properly deal with them.

He cleared his throat, "I'll go down and check the gateway between the underworld levels and these. If we intend to use geothermal energies, we'll need to be sure the relays between there and here still work."

Cuore didn't reply; she was still looking unsteady on her feet.

Kieran hesitated for a moment, but then just sighed and turned to leave. As he left the core room, he saw Cuore slump back against the wall, hugging herself with her arms crossed over her chest.

He felt guilty, but decided that she would need to figure out her own feelings.

Four months was a long time, but it could wait another four months if it meant not messing this up.

* * *

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

Ceodore's eyes snapped open and he froze.

The noises were back.

He had been hopeful when he'd first gone to bed and it had been silent that whatever was causing the noises had only been around the night before.

But now they were back.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

They sounded like they were right outside his door.

He shivered, pulling the blankets closer.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

They sounded a bit further away, now, but still too close for comfort.

He had been bored all day, and dreading going to bed because of this.

Kieran and Cuore had been gone the entire time to the Tower of Bab-Il, where apparently, they were trying to get it working again.

He had heard something about that, but the world was a whirlwind of chaos after the war that he was pretty sure that news got lost amid the rest.

That, and he wasn't sure the tower could be fixed, considering.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

The noise was moving further and further away.

Ceodore crept from his bed, grabbed the three-prong candles that were still lit, and edged towards the door.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

He threw open the door, and the noises abruptly cut-off. Ceodore's eyes narrowed, looking into the darkness.

He stood patiently for a full minute, but nothing made any noise, and he didn't see anything.

With a sigh, he took two steps back and closed the door to his room.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

Flinging the door open again, he saw nothing, but the noise didn't stop this time. It sounded like it was on the move.

Ceodore wanted to run away, but Kieran was right; he had helped save the world four times! He could do this.

He carefully, with as much stealth as he could muster, began to follow the sounds.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

He had pinpointed the direction it was coming from.

The stairs.

The same place as the night before.

Ceodore's grip on the candles tightened, he swallowed thickly.

Every step he took, his heart beat faster and faster until he was sure he was going to pass out.

He felt cold, but he couldn't tell if it was because this section of the castle was chilly, or because he felt unbridled dread.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

Ceodore stopped at the base of the spiraling stairs.

He peered up, hearing the noises clearly now. They were up above him. But what _else_ was up there?

He tried to dig up enough courage to go up the stairs.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

"_You are being ridiculous_…" he chided himself at a mutter.

Ceodore took one step onto the stairs and froze.

A pale, translucent face was peering from around the column of stone in the middle of the spiral.

He ran.

* * *

Kieran wasn't sure what woke him from a shallow sleep, but when he tried to roll over, he found he couldn't.

Ceodore was practically strangling him with how tightly he was clinging to him. He was also completely asleep.

People always said Kieran wasn't patient. He always agreed with them.

Until now.

Four months of waiting for Cuore's pro-con list, and now being awoken in the middle of the night to someone hugging him and he hadn't already grabbed a weapon and skewed them?

Clearly, everyone was wrong.

He had the patience of a saint.

Kieran's first reaction was to shove him off and hope he broke something when he hit the floor, but that would only lead to more complications.

Ceodore had likely freaked himself out once more, and snuck in here. If he woke him up now, he'd only whine and fuss.

Instead, Kieran worked on shimming out from his grasp. It took some doing, but finally he managed to wriggle out of the bed and slide down the side of the bed to sit on the floor.

He glared at nothing in particular.

Before the prince could wake up and realize his human pillow had vanished, Kieran worked a normal pillow between his arms.

On que, Ceodore squeezed it in his sleep.

Kieran glared down at him, too tired to be properly annoyed.

"_Well, I guess I'm not sleeping anytime soon_…"

* * *

The castle was quiet, but even then, Kieran had actually run into a few people up and about. He'd been here long enough that no one gave him weird looks anymore.

Apparently, they were all familiar with the 'fugitive' that was hiding out and trying to seduce the eldest princess. He rolled his eyes.

All he wanted was to find somewhere out of the way to take a nap where Ceodore wouldn't find him if he woke up.

So far, he hadn't found anywhere ideal.

He was busy headed up a flight of steps when he came face to face with Edge.

The king looked amused by the way he jumped, startled, and grinned when Kieran hissed under his breath; "_Crystals_,"

"If you are trying to sneak into Cuore's room, wrong side of the castle." Edge informed him, crossing his arms.

Kieran sighed, "I'm not. I'm just trying to avoid Ceodore."

"Ceodore?"

"I told you, he's convinced the south wing is haunted."

Edge frowned, "Why is he still here, then?"

"Well, apparently the only thing scarier than ghosts are his wife," Kiran remarked coolly.

The king grinned again, "That's a fair assessment."

Kieran rolled his eyes.

"So…"

"No, we aren't together yet." Kieran complained, averting his gaze to a nearby wall.

Edge chuckled, "Really? Because Cuore was acting weird all evening. I asked her about it, but she said nothing. I figured since you two were gone all day, alone, that…well, _something_ must have happened. I can't decide if I need to kill you over it or if I'm just glad the drama might be done soon."

Kieran fidgeted, uncomfortable.

This was an awkward conversation already, made doubly so by the fact it was Cuore's _dad_ he was talking with.

"Nothing happened." he muttered in reply.

"Cuore keeps rubbing her left ring finger," the king mentioned casually.

Kieran winced.

Edge's expression turned a bit sympathetic. His voice tone was still amused, but there was a genuine hint to it. "You kept the ring, didn't you?"

He sighed, but saw no reason to lie, so nodded.

Kieran half expected a snarky comment, but instead he just got a pat on the shoulder.

"Hey," a voice whispered from above them on the stairs. "I'm trying to sleep!"

Leo was glaring down at them, eyes narrowed and sage hair messed up. "Go to bed!"

"Sorry," Kieran whispered back.

Edge just frowned at his son, "Bossy,"

"I learned it from you," Leo retorted, still whispering. "Seriously, go to sleep. And Kieran, Cuore's on the other side of the castle if you're looking for her."

"I know!" Kieran snapped, patience nearly gone. "And I'm not looking for her."

Leo made a face, "You two still aren't together?"

"Wait, you said you _know _where her room is like you've been there a bunch," Edge asked, crossing his arms again.

"It's been months," Leo said as if his father hadn't interrupted. "Is she still being weird about the mind control thing? Do you want me to talk to her?"

Kieran sighed, long and hard. He rubbed his face with his hands.

His patience was officially gone.

"Kieran!"

He groaned out loud in annoyance.

Ceodore ran up and latched onto his arm. "I found you! Where did you go?"

He glared at him and Ceodore just blinked back innocently. "I woke up and you were gone! I got worried the ghost maybe got you, but so far I've only seen it in the south wing. Then I thought maybe you were looking for Cuore, so I started looking."

Kieran's glare sharpened.

Edge chuckled.

Leo tapped his foot impatiently.

"If you want someone to cuddle, go home to Ursula!" Kieran finally whispered harshly. "I was sleeping and you woke me up! There's no ghost!"

"There is!" the prince insisted. "I saw it again! A human face, pale and creepy."

Edge made a face, "What?"

"I hate to tell you this, but your castle is haunted." Ceodore informed him seriously.

"Huh. Well, there's enough dead bodies under it from all the time it's been destroyed I guess it could be,"

There was a long, awkward pause.

Edge looked at each other person present one at a time before shrugging. "I'm just saying,"

"You think the castle is haunted?" Leo remarked, leaning on the wall. His face was full of amusement.

Edge tossed him a look, "Maybe it's Titania,"

All amusement drained and Leo frowned. "You already know she's not a ghost,"

"She comes and goes like a ghost," Edge countered. He paused, "In fact…she's not here right now, is she? Like…she's not in there with you?"

Leo rolled his eyes in an exaggerated motion. "Dad, you are out of control."

"Well?"

"No, she's not! Sheesh…"

Ceodore tugged on Kieran's arm. "Can I stay in your room tonight?"

Kieran wanted to snap a resounding _'no'_ but he bit it back.

Ceodore was only going to stay here one more day and one more night.

What's the worst that could happen?

"Fine." Kieran said through clenched teeth. "But you are sleeping on the floor. I don't…like people around me when I'm sleeping, and certainly not basically strangling me."

"Oh, sorry…Ursula says I kick in my sleep, too," Ceodore apologized.

"Oversharing," Kieran cringed.

Leo shuffled his feet, "Oh, you don't like people sleeping with you? Is that why you and Cuore aren't getting along?"

"Go to bed!" both Edge and Kieran snapped.

The boy sighed and shoved off the wall, muttering; "I was trying too…_sheesh_. This castle has way too much drama in it…"

There was another awkward pause.

"So…" Ceodore said, glancing at Kieran. "You and Cuore _are _still fighting?"

"I will lock you in the south wing if you don't shut up right now." Kieran said with a deathly even tone.

The prince swallowed and said in a small voice; "Okay."

Edge was grinning at them. "Sweet dreams."

"Shut up," Kieran snapped, turning around and stomping off towards his room. He could hear Edge laughing behind him.

* * *

Ceodore wasn't sure he could sleep, even in a none-haunted room. He was too freaked out, and too wired, now.

Besides, there _was_ a lot of drama in this castle.

Kieran was being extra prickly, and Ceodore had to wonder if it was because of something unresolved between them.

"Are you mad at me?" he whispered, staring at the ceiling.

He heard ruffling, then a mumbled; "What?"

It had been a guess that his friend wasn't sleeping, and it had been a good one.

"You seem mad at me." Ceodore said. "And not just about this ghost thing."

Kieran didn't reply.

The prince frowned. "I'm sorry I didn't come visit sooner or write you a letter…I had intended too, it just…time got away from me…"

"You were busy. I'm not mad." Kieran replied flatly.

"I don't believe you."

He heard Kieran sigh.

"Ceodore, go to bed."

He frowned, eyes narrowing at the ceiling. "Are you mad about what happened during the war?"

That was a risky topic, but he felt he needed to ask.

He saw Kieran prop himself up on an elbow enough to glare at him. "That was over a year ago, and we already talked about that. No, I'm not mad about that or anything else."

He flopped back down.

Ceodore hesitated, but was unwilling to drop it.

Despite all their arguments and disagreements, and despite all the darkness surrounding the last world war, they were still best friends.

At least, Ceodore hoped that was still true.

But he had no idea how to brooch that or any other topics with Kieran.

After a few moments, he heard his friend sigh and he saw him sit up again. "I can _hear _you moping,"

"How can you hear somebody moping?" Ceodore asked back, turning his head to see him better in the dark.

Kieran sighed again, and raked his hand through his hair. "Look, I'm not mad. It's just…weird."

"What's weird?"

"Everything." Kieran snorted. "I'm hiding out in a foreign country, trying to convince my…I don't even know what to call Cuore anymore…that we should get married, and now you think the castle is haunted."

Ceodore paused, looking back up at the ceiling. He read between the lines of the last few comments and frowned.

"You…don't like it here?"

Kieran shook his head, "No, that's just it. I _do_ like it here, and…well, that's sort of weird. I like back home, too, but…there's a lot of bad memories there, and…and…"

He flicked a hand dismissively. "Never mind…"

There was another awkward pause.

"Cuore told me in a letter about your idea. The one with the trading ships." Ceodore remarked quietly.

"Oh."

"I think it's a really good idea."

Kieran frowned and tossed him a dubious look. "Really?"

"Yeah," Ceodore replied, tilting his head so he could see him again. "The world could use a better way to transport goods."

"…Thanks."

_Speaking of letters…_

"You could have written me, you know." the prince pointed out, hoping he didn't sound accusatory.

"…I know." Kieran muttered. "I started a letter. Clearly, I didn't finish it."

Ceodore grinned and tried to keep his voice light. "Something we have in common…?"

His friend didn't reply, and the awkward pause stretched on for far longer then the prince would have liked. It was starting to unnerve him as much as the ghost.

Finally, Kieran sighed wearily.

"Alright, fine."

Ceodore made a face, totally confused.

"You want to talk?" Kieran asked flatly. "Let's talk."

And suddenly the prince wished he hadn't have brought anything up at all. This sounded _serious_.

Like he needed more drama in his life.

Leo was right. There _was_ too much drama in this castle.

"I'm not mad at you, Ceodore. Are you mad at me?"

Ceodore wrinkled his nose, baffled. "What?"

"Are you mad at me?" Kieran repeated. "I missed your wedding."

He held his hands up, still laying on his back. "So? You know we were already married. You missed a day of mishaps, that's all. Why would that make me mad?"

"I should have written you or something," Kieran continued as if he hadn't just spoken. "I…didn't really know what to say in my letter. I'm not quite sure what's happening much at all anymore, but…"

"Are you having a meltdown on me?" Ceodore asked tentatively.

"Maybe." Kieran replied, voice far too controlled.

The prince groaned, "You can't, I'm having one. We can't both be having one."

"It's _always_ about you. Let someone else be a drama queen for once…" Kieran muttered.

Ceodore snorted. "No, that's Ursula. She's exactly as bossy as my mom, which is why it's really ironic they aren't getting along."

He sat up abruptly and pointed at Kieran. "Never, _ever,_ repeat that to either of them."

"I'm hiding in this country too, remember?" Kieran hissed back.

They both paused.

Ceodore started laughing first, struck by the absurd reality of the situation. Kieran chuckled not long after and started rubbing his face again. It was hard to tell if it was because he was tired, or because he was fed-up.

Maybe it was both.

"I'm not mad at you, Kieran." Ceodore commented, shrugging.

"Even if I up and left and haven't talked to you in four months?"

He paused. "Wait, you feel guilty you're here, don't you?"

Kieran stared at him flatly. "No, I'm not feeling guilty because I'm here. I'm feeling guilty because I'm a terrible friend."

"You aren't a terrible friend," Ceodore argued, only to be cut off.

Kieran ticked things off his fingers. "I missed your wedding. I haven't talked to you in four months. I vanished for a while after the world war. I threw a chair _at you_ during the war,"

"Okay, okay, stop." Ceodore complained, haphazardly hitting him with a pillow. "Look, I'm not mad you missed the wedding. I felt bad you got stuck running around for it. We both haven't been great at keeping in touch so stop worrying. I…understand why you left after the war. I feel bad for not stopping you. But, it doesn't matter. That was a long time ago. Besides, you were the one who just told me we'd already talked about that."

"And the chair?" Kieran muttered.

"…Well," Ceodore started, wincing. "A severe reaction but I sort of deserved it…"

Kieran snorted.

"Maybe we're both bad friends, but…well, as long as we _are_ still friends, then…it's fine." he said quietly, shrugging once more.

"Ugh, sappy much?" Kieran retorted. "Of course we're still friends. No one else will put up with us."

"Hey!"

Kieran snickered.

"We're good?" Ceodore asked carefully.

Kieran shrugged. "Yeah. We're good."

Feeling more at ease then he had for a long time, Ceodore grinned and laid back down. He'd almost completely forgotten about the ghost.

Maybe this trip hadn't been such a bad idea, after all.

There was always more to say and work on, but at least they had cleared the air.

And at least they were still friends.

That was the most important part.

"But I still think your wrong about the ghost," Kieran muttered suddenly, flopping over so his back was too him.

Ceodore glared at him, even though he couldn't see the nasty look. "Always have to get the last word, don't you?"

"Always."

* * *

**Author's Note: Part 2 should be up...soon. It's mostly done, actually, haha.**

**A few notes:**

**I'm aware its' ironic that I'm writing Kieran and Cuore broken up again while I'm working on a chapter of SoH where they are...broken up. Oops. Haha.**

**Ceodore and Kieran DID (or, would have,) had a falling out in '4th fic' which I won't get into here because out of context of the story it makes no sense. While I always thought they would reconcile much sooner, since I won't be writing that story most likely, I thought I'd include some of that here.**

**Also in '4th fic' Kieran and Cuore were very briefly engaged, (hence the reference to the ring he kept,) before Cuore decided to be a pain and think she was mind controlling him. Awkward.**

**Hmmm...so, is it a ghost?**

**Find out in the 2nd and last part!**

**Thanks for reading. Drop me a review if you enjoyed.**


	2. Chapter 2

Cuore was glad it was easy to avoid people in the castle. She had no desire to go to the Tower of Bab-Il that day, or do much of anything but sulk.

"Hmm…sulk is not the appropriate word…" she mused to herself.

Her Eidolons offered suggestions.

"_Brood_?" Scarmiglione offered.

"_Meditate?_" Anima added.

"_Ponder_?" Rubicante tacked on.

Cuore shook her head.

"_Ruminate_?"

She perked up. "_Yes! Ruminate. A wonderful suggestion, Phoenix_."

"_Ugh, teacher's pet_…" Cag muttered sullenly.

Cuore rolled her eyes.

The weather had turned dreary and rainy, as if in command to her poor and confused mood. She winced at the thought.

Leo suddenly dashed out from behind a tapestry and she gave him a wary look. "Hello Leo,"

"Hi." he said cheerfully.

She raised an eyebrow.

He continued to grin. "Soooooooo…you and Kieran,"

"Ugh!" Cuore exclaimed, stomping her foot. "You too?"

"_Us_ too!" Seren chirped, popping up behind her. "Ta da!"

Cuore pressed fingertips to her forehead, annoyed. Her siblings rarely tried her patience so much.

"Look, I know you don't want to talk about it," Leo started, only for Seren to cut him off.

"But you two are being stupid!"

Cuore scowled at her younger sister. Even Leo shook his head, as if to reprimand her.

"What?" Seren said, crossing her arms. "They are!"

"It's none of your business," Cuore insisted. "Its' a complicated situation."

Leo rolled his eyes. "It is not and you know it."

"I…" she started, stopped, and started again. "It is."

"Nope." Seren sang. "It's just you two being stupid."

"Stop calling me stupid," Cuore complained, shooting the girl a glare.

Seren swayed back and forth, a huge smile on her face. "Sorry."

Cuore sighed. Her sister was anything but sorry. She enjoyed baiting people far too much.

Leo gave her a sympathetic look. "Cuore, you aren't mind controlling him."

"You don't know that," she snapped. "In fact, _I_ don't even know if I am!"

She hugged herself, "You don't understand. Even after all this time my telepathy is so…_ambiguous_. I don't trust myself that I'm not influencing his feelings because of my own."

Leo frowned, "You love Seren and I but we're not mind controlled,"

Cuore closed her eyes, "That's different."

"Why?" Seren asked, hopping over to stand next to her brother.

Cuore hesitated. "It…it just is."

"Are you sure you aren't scared?" Leo suggested. "Because, that would make sense. And, its' okay to be scared. But, running away is no good."

"Yeah! You gotta kill stuff your scared of!" Seren cried.

Leo stared at her sideways. "I hope mom and dad never give you anything sharp,"

She giggled.

Leo returned his attention to his older sister. "I'm not telling you what to do, or anything, but…I know you still like him. I can tell. So…maybe just trust yourself more, okay?"

Cuore had to admit, there was sound logic in those words. And Seren, even in her colorful way, had a point.

She smiled slightly, "You two are the most obnoxious siblings ever, but you are also the best siblings ever."

"I know," Leo said smugly, shrugging. "We're pretty amazing."

Seren nodded, tossing an arm around her brother. "Yup."

Cuore chuckled, shaking her head. "Yes, you are. Humility, however…"

"Is overrated?" Leo fired back, grinning widely. "I'm just glad I'm still able to cheer you up, sissy."

She smiled softly at him and reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "Always, little brother, always."

Seren looked between them, "Aw,"

Leo nudged her and Cuore ruffled her hair. "You are a trouble maker, Seren,"

"I know!" the young girl chirped.

Cuore shook her head but decided that attempting to curb her younger sister's particular personality was a near impossible task. She was going to be a handful later in life, certainly.

"I…appreciate the pep-talk, as it were," Cuore said. She sighed. "I am scared, truthfully. But I suppose Kieran and I should discuss this more, rather than me simply avoid it."

"Good plan," Leo agreed.

Seren nodded, "We both like him. It would be sad if he wasn't here anymore."

"He _has_ integrated with this familial structured unit surprisingly well," Cuore remarked.

Leo tossed his sister a bemused expression, "He fits in well here,"

"Yes, that."

A particularly strong gust of wind rattled the windows in the hallway.

"Wow, the storm is really kicking up," Leo commented, looking out of the windows. "Good thing we're all inside."

Cuore nodded. "Indeed."

She glanced at her siblings.

They had already grown up so much, so quickly. Leo seemed far older than his age, likely due to all the events he'd been involved in.

Before long, they would be adults, and that thought was both terrifying and exciting.

"We should spend the day together," Cuore suggested, shrugging. "It's been too long since it was just the three of us."

"Really?!" Seren said, hopping up and down. "Yes! Yes!"

Leo grinned, "I do like the sound of this plan, Cuore. What should we do first?"

"Well," Cuore said, grinning lightly. "I believe since the weather seems inclined to a storm, we should start by obtaining sugary, warmed food and drinks."

"Yes!" both siblings chorused, rushing off to do just that.

Cuore giggled and followed at a more subdued pace, but fast enough to keep close to them.

She would figure out her conflicting feelings on other topics another day.

* * *

Rain was pelting the roof, wind was rattling the windows, and a distinct chill had crept through every surface of the south wing.

That happened when everything in this part of the castle was stone and metal.

However, despite the dreary night, a raging storm as far better than unexplained sounds and ghostly images.

Ceodore had moved to a different room in the south wing, dragging his blankets with him, when the roof had started to leak in the old one.

He was planning on not telling anyone that fact; either they knew already and didn't care, or they might think he had something to do with it.

He would be heading back home, weather permitting, the next day. But he couldn't get any sleep.

Once back home, he'd have to have a discussion with Ursula and sort out their fight and plan ahead. He had wondered if his mother and her would have gotten along or not, and now he had his answer.

The last thing he wanted to do was get involved in someone else's dispute, but there was no way around it this time.

As such, he was wide awake in a foreign castle trying to strategized.

And, in the back of his mind the unexplained haunting still lingered.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

Ceodore groaned.

He rolled over, trying to ignore the sounds.

Maybe it was in his head, since it had only started after he'd thought about it again.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

He pressed the pillow over his face.

He was determined to ignore the weird sounds, so tried to think of something else.

But everything that he turned over and over in his head didn't detract from the noises.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape,_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

They sounded like they were getting closer…

_Scrape, scrape, scrape,_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

Really close…

_Scrape, scrape, scrape,_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

Suddenly, the door rattled on its' hinges as if something had slammed against it.

Ceodore yelped, and was glad so one was around to hear the high-pitched screech.

He cringed, clutching the bedding.

But, nothing happened.

The noises had ceased, and nothing could be heard beyond the door.

The normal sounds of the rainy night were the only thing that lingered.

Ceodore cautiously crept from his bed and pressed an ear to the door.

Nothing.

He gently opened it only a slit and peered out.

Nothing.

The prince sighed, closing it again.

"This is getting really annoying—"

The door rattled again with a 'thud'.

He jumped back and yelped again, reaching for the sword he absolutely did not have within reach.

Then, nothing once more.

"O-okay, so…well…" he whispered, trying to calm his frayed nerves.

Once again, he pressed an ear to the door and heard nothing. Looking up and down the hallway revealed nothing as well.

This was too weird.

He wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Creeping through the darkness, he came to the stairs that spiraled upwards and frowned, looking up.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape,_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

Ceodore winced, instinctively stepping backwards. Whatever it was, it was definitely up those stairs.

But there was no way he was going alone.

* * *

Kieran was probably going to kill him, but the prince was resolved to see this through.

Ceodore shook Kieran awake, "Kieran,"

His friend muttered something obscene under his breath and opened one eye to glare at him.

"I hate you."

Ceodore offered the most winning smile he could muster. "No, you don't. We're best friends?"

Kieran groaned again and pulled the blankets up over his head, "Did the _ghost_ get you up again?"

His voice was all sarcasm.

"Yes! I know it's up those stairs,"

"Then go fight it or something," Kieran complained, rolling away from his continued prodding.

Ceodore blinked, "Alone?!"

"Yes!"

"But it's a ghost!"

Kieran sat up and glared at him again, "I cannot believe we're spending so much time on this,"

"Just come investigate with me," Ceodore said, tugging his arm. "If there's nothing up there then…then…you can go back to sleep,"

"I have a better idea," Kieran said slowly. His voice tone was far too calm.

"You are leaving to go home soon. So how about you just suck it up, go back to sleep, and we can all forget this happened."

Ceodore frowned, "And just leave the ghost?! Other people live here, you know,"

"None of us have seen this ghost!" Kieran snapped back.

"That doesn't mean it's not real," Ceodore argued. "Besides, there's plenty of other horrible things this could be, you know! It might not even be some long dead spirit. It could be worse!"

"Like what?" Kieran said, rising an eyebrow and crossing his arms.

Ceodore hesitated for a moment, then knew how he should phrase his argument. "Well, I mean…Zeromus turned out to be just a spirit, right? That was pretty bad."

Kieran looked annoyed still, and stared long and hard at the prince before finally heaving a large sigh and standing up.

"Alright, fine. I'll go with you. But if there's nothing up those stairs, _I'm_ going to come back as a ghost and haunt you…"

They left the room, and stepped into a darkened hallway. Ceodore tried his best not to fidget, but he was anxious and unsettled.

It took him a moment to realize Kieran had stalked off in the opposite direction as the south wing.

"Where are you going?" Ceodore called at a harsh whisper.

His friend tossed a look over his shoulder. "If I can't sleep, then no one is sleeping."

* * *

Kieran knocked loudly on Cuore's door with the side of his fist.

Ceodore winced, looking around worriedly.

They might wake up the whole castle.

Cuore didn't answer the knocking, so Kieran heaved a sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Maybe she's a deep sleeper?" Ceodore offered unhelpfully.

Kieran shook his head and reached for the doorknob; "She's not, and she rarely locks her door."

Before he could stop him, Kieran had thrown the door open and stomped inside. "Cuore, I know you are awake,"

She didn't get out of the bed, and Ceodore carefully tiptoed after his friend, staying a few paces back.

"You are interrupting my body's natural regeneration cycle," Cuore said in a quiet, monotone voice.

Kieran just glared at her from the foot of her bed, and crossed his arms. "Well, too bad. If I can't sleep, neither should you."

Cuore refused to move, lying flat on her back with her eyes closed.

Kieran rolled his eyes and reached down, snagging the blanket at the foot of the bed. He yanked it off the bed with one sharp tug and threw it aside.

Cuore sat up, now fully interrupted, and pinned him with a look that could have melted steel. Ceodore winced, Kieran just scowled back at her.

"Kieran!" she hissed, eyes narrowing. "Why are you waking me up?!"

He gestured to the prince with a haphazard hand flick. "Ceodore thinks he saw a ghost,"

"I _did_ see a ghost!" Ceodore retorted.

Cuore's annoyed expression changed to a baffled one. "Impossible. Ghosts don't exist."

"Well, Ceodore thinks they do and he's woken me up the last three nights." Kieran ranted. "If I can't sleep, then no one is sleeping. Including you, immaculate perfection."

Cuore's confused expression switched back to annoyance. She crossed her arms, and still hadn't moved from her bed. "Then, you are waking everyone up in the castle because you've been inconvenienced? Shall I raise the alarm bells?"

Her voice was razor sharp sarcasm. Ceodore winced again.

Kieran didn't seem phased in the slightest, which Ceodore was both impressed by, and concerned with.

"No, just waking you up. I figured you could either talk some sense into Ceodore, or, maybe you knew if the south wing really was haunted."

"The south wing?" she said, finally climbing out of the bed and standing up. "I haven't noticed any particularly strange activity there. But, I rarely venture to that section. The roof leaks and it's dreadfully cold. We never use it for anything."

Ceodore slumped, realizing he'd been right that they had been trying to get rid of him.

"Well, then I guess we're going ghost hunting." Kieran said with false cheerfulness.

"I already told you," Cuore insisted. "Ghosts don't exist."

Ceodore piped up, "But, Cuore, I did see something in the south wing. Several times! And there were a lot of weird noises…"

She frowned thoughtfully, one hand coming up to clasp her chin. "Hmm…perhaps you saw some sort of creature that wandered into the castle? Or…maybe your mental state is damaged from the previous war…?"

"I'm not crazy," Ceodore said, starting to get annoyed.

Kieran grinned at him, "That's what a crazy person would say,"

"Shut up, Kieran."

Cuore nodded suddenly and dropped her arms. "Very well. I will accompany you to the south wing. We shall investigate and learn the truth."

She strode towards her door with purposeful steps, but Kieran frowned and called her back.

"Can you…put a jacket on or something?"

Cuore glanced over her shoulder, confusion splashed across her face once more. "My body is more highly adaptive to changes in temperature then the average human. I don't require a jacket."

"Well, I can't concentrate with you dressed like that," Kieran countered, gesturing to her attire.

Ceodore had been trying not to notice that Cuore was wearing merely a thin nightgown because he was trying to be polite.

He was surprised Kieran was being so honest about the distraction, however.

Cuore huffed and twirled around, walking over to her closest while muttering under her breath.

"Wakes _me_ up but I now have to change clothes…"

She threw a long tunic over her nightgown and wrapped a sash around her waist before turning and sarcastically posing with her arms out.

She scowled, "Well? Is this satisfactory?"

"For ghost hunting, yes," Kieran remarked, heading for the door. "For everything else? No. The other way was better."

Ceodore's eyes widened at the unexpectedly flirtatious comment and the totally bland tone of voice it was said in.

Cuore was unimpressed and rolled her eyes, sighing again before following them into the hallways beyond her room.

As they walked towards the south wing, Cuore asked Ceodore to recount what had happened so far.

Making sure to keep his voice at a whisper, he did just that. Every detail he could think of, he told her.

Cuore was good at solving problems and figuring things out no one else could. If anyone could get to the bottom of it, it was probably her.

But the more he talked, the more he saw he expression change to one of uncertainty. When he finished, they were at the threshold to the south wing and all she said was; "Hmm…"

Ceodore made a face. "What…do you think?"

"I think you're wasting our time," Kieran said, leaning against the wall near the door.

He glared at him, "I wasn't asking you. If you are really so opposed to helping, then you can go back to bed."

"I'm up _now_," Kieran retorted. "Might as well see it through."

Cuore frowned at him, "You are in a very sullen mood," she pointed out.

"Well, I haven't slept the last three nights, so yeah," Kieran retorted.

Ceodore winced. "Sorry…but…well, when you _see_ and _hear_ the ghost, you'll understand!"

Both his friends looked unconvinced.

Ceodore glared at them and pushed the door open, hoping that the sounds would immediately appear and prove his case.

Instead, it was quiet.

The wind and rain could be heard beyond the castle's walls, but nothing supernatural.

"Terrifying," Kieran remarked sarcastically, still leaning against the wall.

Cuore lightly whacked his shoulder as she walked by, entering the south wing with an inquisitive look on her face.

Ceodore followed closely after her, convinced something awful was about to jump out and scare them all.

He could hear Kieran reluctantly following. Even without saying anything, his movements seemed like complaints.

They paused in the dead center of the hallway, and still nothing but the on-going storm outside could be heard.

Ceodore winced, "I _swear_ there were noises,"

"Do you think it was just the storm?" Cuore asked.

"It wasn't raining the last two nights," he pointed out. "I think its coming from up these kind of freaky stairs."

"The spiral pattern _can_ make one disoriented," Cuore pointed out.

Ceodore frowned, "I'm not disoriented and I'm not crazy. Besides, I didn't even go up the stairs,"

"He was too scared to go by himself," Kieran leaned to whisper to Cuore.

Cuore made a face, "Why?"

"Because it's a _ghost_!" Ceodore yelled at a whisper.

Why was no one else concerned or freaked out?!

Kieran and Cuore exchanged a glance, having their silent conversations once more.

He scowled.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

Ceodore froze, and glanced up and the hallway.

"Hear that?" he whispered, pointing to where it was coming from; the direction of the stairs.

Kieran looked dubious, "_That_ is what has you all bothered? It's probably rats."

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

"And that?!" Ceodore insisted.

Cuore shrugged, "Old structures often settle as the ground shifts due to mild tectonic activity."

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

He gestured around the area wildly at the latest set of noise, proclaiming he was right.

"The wind," both his friends replied at the same time.

Ceodore groaned, "It's not rats, or settling, or the wind! I _saw_ something!"

"Okay," Kieran remarked flatly. "Where is this something, then?"

Ceodore tossed his hands up, somewhat annoyed the ghost was now being standoffish. He could really use something to convince his friends it was real.

Cuore hummed and tipped her head to one side. "If it will help you feel more at ease, I'll go with you up those stairs."

The prince was pretty sure she was just trying to be nice and it wasn't that she exactly believed him about the haunting.

"Fine…" he muttered, thrusting the candlestick in front of him. They began to move towards the staircase. The noises continued too circle through the area, but neither of his friends seemed completely unconcerned.

They reached the base of the staircase, and Ceodore paused, hesitated.

He was torn between wanting to know what was at the top and putting this to rest, and running far, far away.

Kieran sighed and brushed past him, "I'll go first,"

Ceodore was slightly relieved, but he decided not to annoy his friend any further with a comment.

They proceeded up the spiraling steps slowly, keeping track of their feet in the darkness as the it twisted higher, and higher.

Once they stepped onto the landing of the second floor, Ceodore shivered, suddenly freezing cold.

Cuore rubbed her arms behind him and Kieran made a face, "It's like it dropped ten degrees or something…"

"Even I'm cold," Cuore murmured. "Strange…heat raises. Even with a drafty space, it shouldn't be this much colder."

Ceodore carefully peered into the dark, staying slightly back from Kieran's side. He did not want to step into the rooms beyond first.

Dust motes floated lazily through the air, the window panes rattled from the continued storm.

After a moment, they heard the sounds again.

_Scrape, scrape, scrape_

_Hmm, hmm, hmm_

_Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh_

They were closer, now, and clearer than ever.

He squinted, trying to see to the far end of what seemed like a hallway.

Cuore shifted and stepped forward, pointing into the gloom. "Those dust particles…they aren't moving right…"

"What?" Kieran asked, glancing at her and holding his lantern up more.

She shook her head, "They should have no pattern, and should have settled by now since we've been standing still and there shouldn't be anything to influence them. But look. Watch them. They…they move in an obvious pattern."

Ceodore followed her outstretched hand, concentrating on the little specks. It took him a moment to see what she did, but indeed, they were moving oddly.

Cuore shook her head again, "Strange."

"Do you believe me now?" the prince whispered.

She raised an eyebrow. "Dust particles acting in an anomalous manner hardly proves the supernatural."

Kieran rolled his eyes, and Ceodore agreed but was too nice to mention it.

They stepped into the hallway properly, and at once all the dust hit the ground and the noises stopped.

"Okay…that is a little weird," Kieran conceded.

Ceodore cringed. "It feels weird up here, and not just because it's cold."

"Yeah, I feel it too." Kieran said, nodding. "Feels like static."

Cuore frowned, "It's not magic, though."

"So….theories?" Kieran asked, taking a few more slow and cautious steps into the area. Ceodore did not want to follow him, but he also felt like he couldn't turn back now, so forced his own feet to move.

"Perhaps a fiend that gives off a static charge?" Cuore said. "It would explain the unusual dust movement as well."

"Do you know anything about this part of the castle?" Ceodore asked, glancing out the window as they passed. It was still raining.

She shook her head, "Nothing in regards to a haunting, no. The castle's been rebuilt so many times…I keep suggesting that we move the site to another location."

"Why?"

"Because they just keep building on old, flawed, broken foundations of previous castles. It's terribly unsafe." she complained.

Kieran chuckled quietly, "So, basically you are telling me that there are probably dead bodies under us,"

"Probably." She replied.

"Charming."

Ceodore noticed she seemed completely unconcerned by that fact. He found it more then a little disturbing, but likely a lot of places had bones under them.

"Well, if a place was going to be haunted, then this would be it." Kieran said. "But why just this one spot?"

"Wait, you believe me now?" Ceodore said, making a face.

"No," Kieran replied. "I'm saying _if_ a place were haunted. I still think your full of crap."

One of the windows sudden banged loudly, making them all jump. It was followed by a rattling sound coming from a door handle several feet away.

"Oh, that's not creepy at all," Kieran said.

Cuore frowned, "Odd."

"Odd?" Kieran repeated, turning to glare at her. "Seriously?"

She frowned back. "It is odd. What else do you want me to say?"

Ceodore tugged on Kieran's sleeve. "Um…the rattling just stopped and the door just opened."

"Odd." Kieran said sarcastically.

Cuore shoved him in the back, obviously not amused.

Ceodore wrung his hands. "Stupid question, but…does anyone have a weapon?"

"I have a dagger, and my magic. But if this is some sort of spectral creature, I fail to see what good physical weapons will do." Cuore replied.

Kieran shook the lantern. "I'm throwing this at whatever it is, and then using you as a human shield, Ceodore."

The prince frowned at him. "Thanks…"

Wordlessly, they all wandered slowly towards the now open door. Ceodore wasn't feeling especially brave, and was glad when Kieran continued to lead and stepped through the doorway first. The other two followed, squeezing into the smaller space and looking around.

"There's nothing in here," Kieran said, frowning.

Moth eaten curtains swayed a bit, more dust floated about lazily, and light debris was scattered about.

But no ghost.

The door suddenly slammed shut behind them.

Ceodore yelped, terrified, and reached out to grab the nearest thing.

That happened to be Cuore's arm. She flinched from the unexpected contact and darted her eyes from the door to Ceodore.

An unhuman screech resonated off every wall, and they all cringed from the loud, abrupt cry.

Something hazy and indistinct appeared, translucent and white.

It was vaguely human shaped, but Ceodore was far too startled to get a proper look.

"_Holy shit_!" he exclaimed.

And whatever the creature was, it was gone in a blinding white light.

Along with a lot of the room they'd been standing in.

* * *

Ursula would not stop laughing.

"You blew the entire roof off!" she exclaimed, falling into another set of giggles.

Ceodore sighed and hung his head. He already felt incredibly embarrassed about the whole thing, and her continued amusement was not helping.

"I…got startled," he explained lamely.

She laughed again.

He sighed again.

"You dork," Ursula chuckled, patting his arm.

Ceodore scowled at her, "It's not funny!"

"No, it's hilarious," she countered, grinning. "I had no idea you cast Holy when you got startled, Ceodore. I'll be sure not to sneak up on you…"

"It was an accident!" he hissed.

Ursula flashed her award-winning smile again. "I know, that's what makes it so funny!"

He groaned and buried his face in his hands.

He had not intended to cast magic, and certainly not such a powerful spell, at whatever that thing had been.

It was long gone now, he was guessing, so the mystery of whether it had been a true ghost or just some other type of fiend, would never be solved.

Cuore and Kieran both complained they had spots in their eyes from his spell. He did feel bad about that.

And the roof.

And parts of the walls.

"I can't believe you three had an adventure without me," Ursula complained, causing him to look back up.

She was looking over at the damaged section of the south wing.

Now that the sun was up, it looked anything but scary.

"…Sorry," Ceodore mumbled.

She sighed, "Yeah, me too. About before, I mean. The fight we had."

"I'm sorry too." He said. "And…sorry I ran away."

Ursula frowned at him, "Yeah, what the heck with that one? That's _my_ thing. I can't believe you up and left and didn't at least take me with you."

"I said sorry," Ceodore retorted.

Ursula sighed, "Well, at least I'm here now. I'll still get to see Kieran and Cuore."

"Assuming they ever talk to me again," Ceodore admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "This whole trip was a disaster."

"More for the castle then you," she said, chuckling again.

Ceodore winced, "Ugh, don't remind me! I'm going to be in so much trouble with my parents _and _Cuore's parents,"

"Well, they are headed this way," she pointed out, cheerful as always.

Ceodore just hung his head again.

"Sooooooooo," Edge said, looking smug. "Your kid destroyed my roof,"

"I see that." Cecil deadpanned.

"You owe me a new one," Edge needled.

Cecil sighed, "I'm so sick of having to repair other people's things."

"You could give me an airship instead of a roof,"

"…What kind of roof do you want,"

Meanwhile, not too far away, the two queens were talking.

"I'm _so_ sorry," Rosa was telling Rydia, hands clasped together.

The summoner raised an eyebrow, "As you keep saying. Really, Rosa, it's not that big of a deal. Its' just a roof. No one was hurt. We barely even use the south wing."

"What?" Rosa said, looking confused. "Oh, I'm not talking about the roof. I'm sorry about Kieran."

Rydia blinked. "…Kieran?"

"Yes!"

Ceodore and Ursula both exchanged a baffled glance.

"He's a trouble maker, and I'm so sorry he's here, and I'm so sorry about Cuore, and-"

Rydia laughed, "Rosa, calm down."

The other queen sighed and pressed her fingertips to her forehead "Oh, everything is just a mess…"

"Rosa," Rydia began again, calmly. "Cuore isn't pregnant, for starters. Second, we…actually really like having Kieran here."

"_What_?" the white mage declared, blinking rapidly.

"We like having him here." Rydia repeated.

Rosa just stared at her for a long moment until she made a face. "…Are you okay?"

"I'm at a loss for words." Rosa admitted.

Ursula snorted. "A first."

Ceodore tossed her a look. She grinned back.

The prince sighed, "I'm glad they like having him here, because…well, Kieran likes being here, too."

"How do you feel about that?" Ursula asked, tucking her legs up and tipping her head to one side.

He smiled slightly, "Kind of sad, but it's not like I'll never see him, even if I'm banned from Eblan for…this. Besides, I'm glad he's happy."

"Same." she said, smiling back. "Him and Cuore?"

"I have no idea."

"That's dumb." she muttered.

Edge was busy listing all the things he wanted from his new roof and Rydia looked over his shoulder, caught Cecil's eye and rolled hers.

"I just can't believe you like having him here," Rosa was still saying.

Ceodore frowned. "Huh. Maybe I'm off the hook…"

"I heard that," Edge said, glancing backwards. "You are not off the hook. I don't care who's kid you are."

"It was an accident!" Ceodore insisted.

Cecil held his hands up, palms upward in exasperation. "How do _accidentally_ cast Holy?!"

Ceodore hesitated, not sure he wanted to explain.

His mom was right there.

Ursula was grinning again. She leaned over, "Do you want run away again?"

"Don't tempt me…"

* * *

Cuore was avoiding whatever drama was unfolding in the south wing since the _incident_ the night before, and instead was busy looking for someone.

She finally ran into him skulking about near a stairwell.

"What are you doing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kieran frowned. "Hiding. Rosa's here. I'm pretty sure she still wants me dead for the disaster of a wedding."

"A likely conclusion." Cuore agreed.

She hesitated, unsure now that she had finally found her objective.

Kieran gave her a once over, and she had to wonder if he was going to make another remark about her clothing choices. She's specifically gotten fully dressed to have this conversation to avoid it.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

Cuore blinked, "I…was looking for you, actually."

"Going to turn me in for the bounty?" he joked.

She paused, "Is there a bounty on your head?"

"I wouldn't put it past her," he replied.

With another hesitated, she shuffled her feet. "No, I…I thought we could talk,"

Kieran looked confused, and more then a little suspicious.

But she knew she had to act now or she'd lose her nerve. It was already dwindling.

Core shoved a stack of papers bound with ribbons to form a spine and keep them together into his hands.

"Here," she said quickly, embarrassed.

Kieran looked surprised, but then he turned it over and over in his hands. She could see him realize what it was.

"Oh, right. The list. I'll look at this tonight."

Cuore could hear the careful way he had picked his words. His tone was far too cautious for his normal personality.

She hesitated, debating with herself about how to proceed.

"Perhaps…" she began, halting and then shaking her head. She had come this far. "Perhaps you should read it now,"

Kieran cracked a wry smile, "All forty pages of it?"

"The first one. Just the first page." she replied, aware of how agitated she sounded.

But she_ felt_ agitated as well.

Kieran looked up with confusion written across his features. "Okay…"

Cuore held her breath as she watched him flip open the first page. She saw the way his face cycled through quite a few different emotions and finally settled on a very stoic expression.

He was clearly trying to keep himself in check and not get overly excited.

She knew when she'd crossed off all the pros and cons and ruined their orderly columns with a large dash of black ink across the page that there was no going back.

She knew exactly what he would think and feel when he read the words she'd written hastily at the top of the page instead.

She hadn't expected, however, for her own feelings to spiral so drastically out of control.

Cuore felt overheated, feverish. Her pulse was racing and it felt dangerous to breathe. Half of her wanted to run away, but mostly she felt paralyzed.

One of her hands went to rub her midsection, as she suddenly felt nauseous.

Kieran didn't say anything at first; he just stared at the paper as if it wasn't making any sense.

Finally, he blinked, but didn't take his eyes off the words.

"Cuore,"

His tone was tense, unsure.

Cuore laughed nervously. "I…spent a long time writing that list of pros and cons about…about us, and…well…"

She dropped her gaze to the floor. "I-I realized I was overthinking it. I could have spent another four months filling more columns with more reasons but…but they aren't reasons, they are excuses and I…I'm using them to hide, so…so…"

She remembered what she ended up writing; "_Because I love him_."

"So…I…wrote the only reason that should matter…"

When he didn't reply, she peeked up cautiously, concerned over the continued silence.

But Kieran wasn't looking at her, and his appearance hadn't changed from the guarded, impossible to read expression.

"Do you mean that?" he asked quietly.

Cuore blinked, "Do I mean…?" she paused, took a deep breath and spoke again. "Do I love you? Yes. Do I…think it's the only thing that should matter in answer to your question? Yes."

Kieran finally glanced up, but he was still all caution and calm.

"And…the mind control…?"

Cuore bit her lip, "I'm…still concerned about coercing you into feeling more for me then you should. I worry that, sometime in the future, you will very much realize how dangerous I truly am…but…we've been apart a long time. And, you still have feelings for me, obviously. I don't think that my telepathy is so powerful I could have altered your mind so drastically."

"I know your dangerous," he murmured. "But, I'm not afraid of you, or afraid of us, together. You are worth any risk, Cuore."

She recalled him telling her that once before, and it resonated even now.

"I never stopped loving you," she admitted quietly. A sad smile pulled at her lips. "And…I'm still yours, mind, body and soul, if…if you want me."

Kieran exhaled sharply, as if he hadn't breathed in years.

It was a shaky sound that mirrored how unsteady Cuore felt. She couldn't help the uneasy smile on her face.

"Of course I want you, Cuore. That was the idea when I asked you to marry me,"

She nervously smoothed her skirt down and averted her gaze, "W-well, yes, I suppose that does make logical sense…"

"What I _really_ want though is to kiss you," Kieran said, trying to catch her wandering gaze.

She looked back, blinked, and swallowed. "Oh…"

They both paused for a moment and finally Cuore gave a halting laugh, "I…if you wanted too…"

Cuore wasn't prepared for him to drop the stack of pros and cons on the ground and reach out to grab her. She squeaked in surprise.

Despite the jarring, abrupt action, the kiss was nothing but tentative and simple. He pulled away after the briefest of moments and smiled, gently brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I've been wanting to do that for _ages_," Kieran admitted.

Cuore giggled. "I know."

"Can I kiss you again?"

She shook her head and tugged the cord around his neck. "I want my ring back first,"

Kieran tilted his head, looking puzzled. "Do…you want a new ring?"

"Why?" she asked, equally as confused.

"I don't know, I…just thought maybe this one had some bad memories associated with it. I could get you a new one."

Cuore smiled and shook her head, "No, this one is _mine._ Those memories might be unpleasant, but they are still part of us."

Kieran returned her smile and pulled back enough to free the necklace from his neck and slide the ring onto her finger.

She giggled, feeling unusually sentimental and giddy. "Okay," she whispered breathlessly. "Now you can kiss me again,"

Kieran wasted no time in doing just that, and she reveled in the reminder of just how much she had missed the affection attention.

How much she had missed _him_.

"Marry me," he whispered between kisses.

Cuore smiled and nodded, "Yes."

The next kiss snapped open her carefully crafted mental blockades with a gentle reminder of how much they meant to each other.

That long dormant link they shared sparked to life, prompting both of them to sigh; "I love you."

"Are you sure Cuore isn't pregnant," Rosa's voice suddenly exclaimed.

She did not sound pleased.

Kieran groaned in annoyance, rolling his eyes to the ceiling.

Cuore stepped in front of him and held up her left hand. "Rosa, whatever vengeance you want, just keep in mind I'm marrying him, so I need him alive."

"Oh, thanks," Kieran muttered under his breath.

The white mage darted a look around at everyone present.

"Oh, Cuore, are you sure-"

Edge interrupted. "Hey, hey! Do _not_ talk her out of it! I've had to sit through this drama for months now! I want them to get married and stop hesitating and just build me a damn airship already!"

"Crystals, the airships again?!" Cecil said, looking at him like he'd lost his mind.

Rydia sighed, "Your altruistic outlook on our daughter's happiness is amazing, Edge."

Cuore frowned and leaned back to whisper to Kieran; "I understand now why Ceodore and Ursula eloped."

"Yeah." he agreed.

* * *

"So, do you think it really was a ghost?" Ursula asked, glancing at each of her friends.

Cuore shook her head, "Unlikely. I still contend ghosts don't exist."

"Definitely a ghost." Ceodore disagreed.

Kieran shrugged, "Maybe just a monster."

"Guess it doesn't matter now," Ursula remarked, gesturing back at the castle in the distance.

Ceodore sighed, "I want to go home…I'm exhausted."

"_Your_ exhausted?" Kieran snapped. "You woke me up the last three nights!"

Cuore held up a hand, "I suggest something else. Since the adults seem…unreasonable at the moment and preoccupied, perhaps we should all risk life and limb on the _Farragut_ and leave."

Ursula's expression morphed into excitement. "Oh! I _love_ it when you want to break rules Cuore!"

Kieran made a face, "Risk life and limb is right, that thing barely flies."

"Where would we go?" Ceodore asked.

Cuore shrugged, "I don't know, but I have no desire to stay here at the moment. This castle has too much drama in it,"

Ceodore chuckled.

His three friends gave him a weird look, but he just waved the comment off and grinned.

"Why not? Let's go."

* * *

**Author's Note: It's complete! I wanted to have this done before Halloween, but then the week turned out to be busy, busy, busy, and left me no time to write. BUT, here is the conclusion of this silly story!**

**I'm purposely leaving it up to you if the ghost was a ghost or not ;)**

**I had a lot of fun with writing this silly story, and it was a nice fun friendship story! I actually am really fond of these four and their dynamic. Plus, the older cast is always fun because they are getting too old for this sh**. Haha**

**As a quick note: ages for characters in this/timeline...so these are approximate. Cuore is...21ish, Kieran is 23ish, Leo would be...12? Seren 6, Ceodore and Ursula...I'm not sure, 26? 27? It's getting harder to keep track, haha. Timeline wise this is about 2-3 years after Shards of History. **

**I hope everyone enjoyed this story! I'll be working some more on my on-going stories, which I'm hoping to have completed sooner rather then later, because there's so much more I want to do!**

**Thanks for reading everyone!**


End file.
